


The Roomba Initiative

by LadyAriadna



Series: Towards Infinity [6]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Family, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Iron Dad, Not Beta Read, Parent-Child Relationship, Parenthood, Team Cap friendly, mild swearing, spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-07-10 05:40:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15942917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyAriadna/pseuds/LadyAriadna
Summary: It took a rigorous system of housekeeping to keep the Avengers compound clean. The staff had help from the Avengers, their counterparts at least.





	The Roomba Initiative

**Author's Note:**

> In [chapter 3](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15594186/chapters/36440763) of [From the Outside, Looking In](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15594186/chapters/36205488), we’re introduced to Loki the Roomba. Peter designed Roombas based on the Avengers so here’s the rest of them.
> 
> I recommend that you read the prequel stories in this series, especially From the Outside, Looking In and [The Spidey Training Montage](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15902256).

Tony never knew Peter would go on a building craze after he was given permission to use the 3D printer. Then again, he should’ve seen it coming and besides, in hindsight, the whole project was hilarious so he didn’t think of stopping the kid.

He first found out about his mentee’s creations when he was about to climb the stairs towards the residential wing of the Avengers compound and he heard the unmistakable sound of repulsors. He stopped and tried to pinpoint where the sound came from. It wasn’t a continuous sound for it stopped and started in intervals.

“Friday? Is there a rogue Iron Legion unit around? Are we getting another Ultron here?”

“No, boss” Tony swore he could hear a hint of laughter in Friday’s voice.

“What’s that I hear then?”

“Oh, I think you’ll love it.” She answered. He was about to ask further when he heard the object fly closer to him. It was a Roomba in hot rod red and gold with four repulsors. “Peter said it’s Iron Man the Roomba.” Friday remarked.

“Huh.” Tony watched the Roomba clean one step of the stairs then use its repulsors to go down a step then clean that one. Friday was right, he loved it! “Friday, clear my schedule tomorrow.”

“Sure thing, boss.”

Tony smiled as he climbed the stairs past the Roomba. As a reward for a good job, he planned to take the kid to this new ice cream place Peter had been telling him for days.

\---

The next one was unexpected to Tony and he only found out after he heard a surprised shout from Happy. Peter and Tony were in the training room with a few Iron Legion units to practice on their team up when the commotion happened.

“PETER! Get this thing away from me or I swear-” Happy zigzagged away from something on the ground; something green and round with a… knife?

“I’m sorry.” Peter didn’t sound sorry at all. He was amused. “Let me get him. Loki, come here.” _Loki?!_ Tony chuckled and was impressed when Loki the Roomba obeyed Peter. It retracted its two-inch knife then rolled towards the kid. Peter picked it up then smiled apologetically at Happy.

“Happy, buddy, deep breaths.” Tony decided to intervene else the big guy would explode. “There’s no one in the spa right now so you can have it all for yourself, right Friday?”

“Yes, Happy. Your favorite masseuse is there too.” She provided. _That’s my girl!_ Happy took calming breaths while Peter silently retreated behind Tony to hide.

“Ok,” Happy said as he calmed down, “if you need me-”

“Oh don’t worry, you can take the day off.” Tony assured him. “See you tomorrow.”

“Okay.” They watched as Happy walked out of the training room. As soon as the doors closed behind him, Tony turned towards Peter.

“Really? Loki?” Tony asked with a raised eyebrow. “You built a Loki Roomba?”

“Every superhero has a villain, right?” Peter sheepishly answered. Tony couldn’t deny that logic so, he nodded. The approval made Peter release the tension on his shoulders.

“So it’s just going to stab anyone?”

“It’s random but sometimes he has favorites.” His answer made Tony chuckle. 

“Will there be more custom Roombas in the future?”

“Uumm… I’m already making another.” Peter grinned.

\---

The one after Loki the Roomba was stealthy. Tony was on his way towards his office when he saw something in his peripheral vision; something black rolled around the corner. Curious, Tony followed it and what he found made him smirk. _Of course, she’s his fellow arachnid after all._

This black Roomba had a thin blue neon light around its circumference and the Black Widow logo at the top. Black Widow the Roomba only stayed on the sides and in the shadows, silent.

Tony wanted to see what features this Roomba had so he followed her. He must’ve looked weird based on the odd looks he got from the staff. He silently followed it for a considerable amount of time when…

“What the hell are you doing?” The voice made Tony jump. Rhodey, with his arms crossed and eyebrows raised, was behind him.

“Shush.” Tony turned back to the Roomba and made sure he didn’t lose it. “Follow me to find out.”

“Hell no! For all I know this is a prank and I’m not fallin’ for it!”

“Come on, Platypus! Want to find out or not?” It was clear Rhodey was curious and despite his initial objection, he shrugged and followed Tony.

“Fine.” Both men continued the chase. “Who are we following?”

“Black Widow the Roomba.”

“Hold on. There’s an Iron Man, Loki and now, a Black Widow Roomba?!”

“Yeah, the kid loves playing with the 3D printer.” Tony answered as Nat the Roomba - he thought the whole name was a mouthful - took them to the security offices of the Avengers compound.

“Do you think he’s going to make a War Machine Roomba?” Rhodey smiled, hopeful.

“Sorry, buddy. Looks like he’s recreating the Battle of New York.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault! I was busy at Hong Kong!”

“Don’t worry, he’ll extend the gang eventually.” Tony stopped when Nat the Roomba slowed down and made her way towards a guard. The guard was supposed to man the CCTV monitors but was slumped on the desk instead, asleep. Tony and Rhodey watched as Nat slowly rolled towards the guard’s foot and when she was three inches away, a blue electrical charge shot out of her side then she rammed herself towards the foot. The shock woke the guard. He was disoriented for a few seconds and when he looked down, Nat the Roomba was nowhere to be seen.

“Wow,” Rhodey was impressed, “she got Widow’s Bite.”

“Yeah. That’s very helpful.” Tony smirked, impressed. Peter successfully adjusted the taser to the right power level. “Alright Rhodester, let’s get out of here.” They walked back towards their offices.

“So, do you think Peter would eventually make a War Machine Roomba?”

\---

Tony told Peter the story of how Clint infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Hellicarrier via the vents once so, naturally, the kid latched on to that. Therefore, Hawkeye the Roomba haunts the vents.

“So, he just cleans the vents?” Tony asked Peter. He was with May and Peter at the Parkers on a slow saturday afternoon. They waited for Pepper so they can start their Robin Williams movie marathon.

“No no no no. Sometimes he hangs out on the roof or any high places. He shoots rubber arrows too. Well,” Peter shrugged, “he got different arrow settings. He’s got mini Nerf arrows, magnetic arrows with a line on it so he can scale the sides of the vents, and others.”

“Peter, I don’t want people tripping on discarded arrows on the floor.”

“Don’t worry, he retrieves his own arrows and besides, he seldom gets out of the vents anyway.” He smiled.

“Huh.” Tony wondered how Clint would react to his Roomba counterpart. “So who’s his target? I mean, Loki’s favorite is Happy. Nat targets sleepy guards…”

“Oh, the same as Black Widow plus the occasional squirrels and pigeons.”

“Pete, I gotta say kid. That’s genius!” Peter’s grin made him happy.

“Thanks!”

“You know,” May cut in, “all this talk about Roombas made me realize something.” She turned towards Peter, hands on her hips. “When are you going to clean your room, young man?”

“Uummm…”

\---

Tony walked in the compound’s lobby one day when something green rolled past him. It made him grin. Peter got to finish a Roomba for his science bro! 

Hulk the Roomba had a lighter shade of green compared to Loki’s. Most of the time he’s just a normal Roomba but, if he encountered something that blocked his way, like a foot or a potted plant, and he couldn’t push it away, he would glow green and would ram at the object repeatedly until it moved by Hulk’s force, got out of the way on its own or if someone carried him away from it. It would also calm down if Nat the Roomba is around. 

Tony swore it was like Peter’s playing the Sims but with Roombas. At first Tony thought the staff would be annoyed but he was delighted they found the Roombas adorable and even helpful at times. They were certainly a welcome distraction after a day of monotonous work.

After a few days as Hulk the Roomba cleaned and smashed his way around the lobby, Tony took it to his lab. He almost Hulk smashed the bots once so he tasked Dum-E and U to make sure nothing would block the Roomba’s way. 

“Hey, Dr. Banner’s here!” Peter happily exclaimed when he visited the compound’s lab to work on his next Roomba project.

“Yeah, thought he would get lonely in the lobby.” Tony smiled as he saw Peter greet the Roomba as if it’s the real person.

“I wonder where the real Dr. Banner is. Do you think I’ll meet him?’

“I don’t know kid but, I think you guys would get along.” _He’ll find his way back, sooner or later._

\---

“Do you really have to make a Roomba based on him?”

“Mr. Stark, the original Avengers wouldn’t be complete without him!” Peter reasoned while he waited for the 3D printer to finish.

“He’s annoying!”

“Come on, as if you’re not used to him already. Besides, I know you miss him.”

“What did you say?”

“I take that back.” Peter tried to placate him. “It’s just not complete without Captain America, you know.” Peter looked at him with his puppy dog eyes and a pout. _Damn it._

“Fine.” At first, Tony wanted to ask what features Peter would put in Cap the Roomba but after he mulled it over, he thought he’ll find out eventually.

Eventually came when he was at the gym lifting weights. He took the task of putting away the mats when the one at the top of the pile fell after he accidentally pulled it.

“Oh, shit!”

“Language!” Tony froze when he heard that familiar admonishing voice. He turned around and saw the blasted Cap Roomba behind him.

“What the fuck?!”

“Language!” 

“How the heck did Peter get a recording of that?!” 

“Language!”

“What the- Even ‘heck’?!” 

“Language!” Tony took a calming breath.

“Okay, I’m gonna figure you out.” He said as he sat in front of the damn Roomba. Tony then proceeded to recite every swear word he knew. He even got creative! By the time he was finished, Tony knew which words triggered it.

“Damn, Pete. That’s a comprehensive list!”

“Language!”

“I’m not surprised anymore.” Tony rolled his eyes as got up from the floor.

Cap the Roomba’s effect on the staff was funny at least. Some people would look around first before they use a swear word while others got creative with their swearing. He even heard some loophole swears that Tony swore was the pinnacle of creativity. Peter found it both entertaining and educational. Tony hoped May wouldn’t find out her nephew had a new arsenal of loophole swear words.

Aside from that, Cap the Roomba was the perfect boy scout. He helped carry or push things. He was like a self-driving cart. He even spewed PSA’s like “Patience is a virtue” or “When on fire: stop, drop and roll”. Apparently, Peter got a hold of all the PSAs Cap recorded years ago then crammed small bits of them in the Roomba’s memory.

He wouldn’t tell Peter but when Cap the Roomba got really annoying, he would kick it a little.

\---

The last Roomba was Peter’s gift to poor Happy. Even when Happy avoided Loki the Roomba, the little devil would appear out of nowhere that Happy swore Peter found a way for the Roomba to teleport or something.

“Can’t you just make the kid dismantle the thing?” Happy implored one day when they were at the Avengers pantry.

“Happy, you can’t ask an inventor to do that. Unless it’s as evil as Ultron.” Tony added quickly.

“That little,” Happy paused and looked around for Cap the Roomba, “shit is worse than Ultron.”

“No, he’s not.” Tony smirked. “He’s just misunderstood.”

“Really?” Happy raised an eyebrow. “Really, Tony?”

“You know you can just wear ankle boots and you won’t feel a thing. Sooner or later, Loki will get tired. Also, why not just ask Peter to tweak the settings a little?”

“I did, he said he’ll take care of it.”

“There you go.” Tony gestured towards Happy while he took sip of his coffee. “Be patient. Patience is a virtue.”

“Stop it! I’ve had enough from Cap.” Tony laughed.

A few weeks after Peter’s week-long training at the compound, he visited again to finish the last Roomba.

“You’re done recruiting little Nick Fury?” Tony asked Peter in the lab.

“Just a little convincing and the initiative is complete.” Peter giggled. After a few minutes, he placed his screwdriver on the table. “Done! Can I please test it out?”

“Sure, let’s find Happy.”

They found the man at the lobby near the turnstiles as he reminded every person that came in to pin their IDs.

“Hey, Happy! I got you something.” Peter smiled at him, the Roomba hidden behind him.

“Feel free not to give me anything. I know you’re up to something.” Happy said with narrowed eyes. Before he can say more though, Loki the Roomba rolled in and on a mission to stab Happy. “Ah ah ah ah! Stop, you little devil!”

“Don’t worry, Happy. I got this.” Peter put down the newly made Roomba on the floor. “Go Thor!”

The circumference of Thor the Roomba’s body was made of flexible LED display that had a looping video of lightning. He had a mini projectile Mjölnir that he could shoot out and, with powerful magnets, he could summon it back.

Thor shot the mini Mjölnir between Happy and Loki. That made Loki stop and look at the incoming Roomba. Thor summoned the hammer back then pushed Loki away from Happy. Tony swore Loki released a long high-pitched beep that may have been its equivalent of a scream.

“Wow! You did it, kid!” Tony clapped Peter’s back as the teen grinned. “You got a protector now Hap.” The man looked conflicted. Tony thought maybe Happy’s not sure if he should be glad that something could stop Loki or if he should be mad because there’s a new Roomba in the compound.

“Peter, that Roomba better not shoot out lightning.” Happy warned.

“It can’t.” Peter gave him a tight-lipped smile. Happy just sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Tony, I’ll be at the spa if you need me.”

“Sure thing, buddy.” Tony called out as Happy walked away. “Relax and enjoy.” Then he turned towards his mentee and quietly asked, “Thor the Roomba can’t shoot electrical charges?”

“I haven’t figured out how to do it without disrupting the magnet inside.” Peter shrugged.

“I can help you with that.” Tony smirked as he slung an arm around Peter’s shoulders to lead him back to the lab. “Why did you wait until now to make a Thor Roomba? Why not after Loki?”

“Save the best for last, you know.”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.” Peter chuckled. “By the way, Rhodey asked if you plan on making a War Machine Roomba.”

“Hmm… I can do that next. I’m thinking he’s gonna be like the Iron Man Roomba but have projectiles, like Hawkeye’s. I also thought about designing a Vision Roomba. I can make him hover like your dad’s car then have this powerful laser rust remover. Then the Scarlet Witch Roomba would have this magnetic disks she can deploy then the disks will transform into red thrusters so she can lift heavy stuff...”

Peter went on and on with his Roomba design ideas for the rest of the Avengers as Tony smiled fondly at him.

**Author's Note:**

> Unfortunately, Peter wasn’t able to finish War Machine the Roomba or continued making the other Roombas.
> 
> According to the [Iron Man 3 Prelude](https://www.marvel.com/comics/series/16279/marvels_iron_man_3_prelude_2012_-_2013), War Machine was at Hong Kong because of a terrorist group, the Ten Rings, while the Battle of New York happened.
> 
> The Roombas can get around the compound because Friday opens the doors and the elevator for them.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The Spider Roomba](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17092178) by [insanesometimes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/insanesometimes/pseuds/insanesometimes)




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